On a deck, tops of railing or floor are the only locations available for plants, tools, lights, electronic equipment, or decorations. These locations create safety concerns. Because of their intrusive nature, people often bump items, such as plants, off a deck railing. Likewise, objects on the floor are inadvertently kicked or tripped, resulting in injury. Additional injuries may incur during clean-up, because broken pottery pots made of porcelain have sharp edges.
In homes, plants or ornaments are often placed on floors or stairs, which can be kicked, creating a tripping hazard. For homes with small children, keeping objects off the floor is paramount. Sports enthusiasts and active children usually own many trophies. Finding a central location to properly display one's achievement is important. When the mantel is full, trophies are left on a table and blended with clutter. A parent must then struggle with the purchase of an expensive display case, only to be placed against a wall, when a more visible and central location is a main stairway.
Lighting placed around the deck, stairs, or hallway railing is needed for pedestrian safety, particularly for visiting guests getting accustom to new floor plans. Ornaments and flags improve the aesthetic appeal of a home and display the core values of a family within it. A way to mount insect repellant to protect from mosquitos which may carry pathogens (e.g., West Nile virus, Zika virus) is essential and most effective when placed around the entire perimeters of a deck. These are the many concerns the invention solves.
Existing patents do not address the above-mentioned concerns. Known devices related to deck fasteners has been patented. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,127,698 issued to Brulle et al. describes an anchoring device that secures items to support a structure having openings, such as narrow space between boards on a deck or patio. To install the device, the user threads a fastener through a holding plate between boards, then pulls a fastener upward to sandwich a base plate on two opposing sides of deck floor boards. However, this device is not suited for fastening objects between deck rails, which are spaced further apart than floor boards. Furthermore, the diameter of the anchoring device's outer surface is not adjustable to accommodate variations in deck railing spacing.
Other patents related to deck fasteners serve a different purpose, namely the construction of decks. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,280 issued to Smith et al. teaches a way to hang an upright leg to a deck for the purpose of supporting soffits, fascia, trusses, and other assemblies near the upper portion of walls. U.S. Pat. No. 8,011,148 issued to Bertke et al. teaches an interlocking decking system for the installation of deck flooring, walkway, or a platform. It facilitates the assembly of modular components, including free floating piers, deck pads, and blocks. U.S. Pat. No. 8,117,798 issued to Bergman describes a way to secure a post to a concrete foundation.
Some patents teach the use of wedges and cams to hang objects, but their application is directed to a non-analogous field of art, solving very different problems, namely mountain climbing. U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,485 issued to Chouinard et al. describes an irregular, polygonal mountaineering chock with opposing faces angled to fit between cracks in mountains. U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,241 teaches the use of pyramid shaped wedge as a more versatile chock to fit in between cracks in mountains.
In 1980, U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,657 issued to Jardine teaches the use of cam technology to lock a climbing aid into a mountain side. Thereafter, numerous patents in the non-analogous field of mountain climbing were issued, as provided in this non-exhaustive list: U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,291 issued to Ching; U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,342 issued to Grow; U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,754 issued to Brodie; U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,289 issued to Waggoner, U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,629 issued to Reed; U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,466 issued to Brown; U.S. Pat. No. 7,959,119 issued to Tusting et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,317,145 issued to Reed. Generally, these patents teach ways to enhance the support of a bar or stem from cam movement from shock forces created by falling mountain climbers. The improvements include variation in cam numbers, spindle numbers, translatable axles, and flexible stems to compensate cam rotation during a person's free fall accident. The problems faced by mountain climbers are starkly different from the problems solved by this present invention. For example, how to hang objects on a column that is relatively smoother, and without the aid of a rope to support objects. Furthermore, the unilateral goal of supporting a mountain climber limits the solution, when the focus is adaptability, when displaying a broad range of objects.
A host of wall fasteners also exist, which include the use of pins, rivets, hooks, and bag fasteners. U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,173 issued to Mathe describes a slidable pin and plug member to spread a boss outward. U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,172 issued to Einhorn describes a two-part hook system with one hook extending into the wall and the second hook extending into the panel. The second hook is a cam that rotates and locks into the panel. U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,436 issued to Kuhnke teaches a fastener that adds an arm extending from the hook, which is nailed to a wall. The arm locks onto the picture frame with a fastener, securing the frame into a fixed position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,108 issued to Muirhead describes a magnetic tool retaining device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,697 issued to Steiner describes an apparatus for aperture boards. U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,587 issued to Wollar et al. describes a reusable two-piece fastener. Unlike a rivet with a smooth shaft, this invention utilizes a threaded screw to expand or retract the boss, which enables the body to be easily retracted from bore if needed. While it is applicable to hang picture frames to walls, it is more commonly seen to couple automotive panels or shielding together. U.S. Pat. No. 8,011,080 issued to Brown et al. teaches a hinged wall and ceiling anchor. These patents are distinguishable from the present invention by its mechanism and function. Specifically, these fasteners bore through a wall or peg board and utilize it as an anchor point, unlike the present invention that does not require boring through a surface to anchor or support the device.
Display racks have been patented to hang objects. However, the existing prior art differs from the present invention because its application is to store household objects. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,991 issued to West teaches a room dividing partition with a plurality of upright utility modules. It has a rigid structure and moves via tracks positioned along the floor. This device differs from the present invention, which hangs on columns and does not rely on tracks positioned along the floor. Other storage racks including U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,335 issued to Voelz rely upon a rotatable carousel conveyor that mounts on a turner unit to display objects. In contrast, the present invention does not rely upon a carousel to hang or store objects.
A host of other hanging devices exist, including U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,232 issued to Du Corday and U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,938 issued to Rubinstein. These devices are used to support periodicals, books, or binders. These applications differ from the present invention by utilizing an elongated member to support hangers, which suspends the periodicals, books, or binders.
Display devices supported by a frame have been patented: U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,343 issued to Franklin et al. is a jewelry display device; U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,893 issued to Tkatch is a shelving apparatus; U.S. Pat. No. 7,204,372 issued to Kin et al. is a rug display system, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,439,211 is a visual organization and display apparatus and system. These patents similarly rely on hangers or brackets that mount to a frame or housing, which differs from the present invention that mounts to columns affixed to deck railing or stair railing.
Furthermore, hanging devices such as an adjustable bar hanger and electrical box described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,967,585 issued to Gretz is used to mount heavy device such as an electrical fan to a ceiling by fitting between two rafters or similar supports. U.S. Pat. No. 9,010,550 issued to Figueroa is a tool bar to secure tools under a hood of a car during repair or maintenance by hooks that engage the edge of the hood. The mechanism of action differs from the present invention.
While many hanging or supporting devices exist, none is directed to hanging objects in between columns, typically attached to decks, hallway, or stairway railings. Additional advantage of the present invention is its portability, because it does not rely upon a bulky frame as a support system. Instead, this invention utilizes unique cam assembly designs, which are easily removable and portable, to support objects in between columns.